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Solar charge controller for a campervan

Updated: October 2026

The listing in the basket says 15 A when the parcel is a 15 W panel. A solar charge controller for a campervan is either a small maintainer for a battery that sits idle, or a regulator sized in amps for a roof array on a leisure battery. Those are different products. A plastic box bolted to the roof is a third mistake, including when the bullet says waterproof. This page stays with campervans and small boats, using the amazon.co.uk rows on the [solar charge controller comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/solar-charge-controller), captured on 19 October 2026. Nothing here was installed on a van. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The listing in the basket says 15 A when the parcel is a 15 W panel.

Our top picks

Victron Energy Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/15

Best overall

Victron Energy Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/15
8.6/10about £61.60
View offer
Topcloud Topcloud 10A PWM

Best value

Topcloud Topcloud 10A PWM
7.2/10about £8.96
View offer
POWOXI POWOXI 15W 12V solar maintainer

Rank 3

POWOXI POWOXI 15W 12V solar maintainer
4.9/10about £54.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Trickle charging an engine battery
  2. 2.A leisure battery needs a controller sized in amps
  3. 3.Lithium in a van is a setting, not a sticker
  4. 4.Keep the controller inside, and keep the house mains out

Trickle charging an engine battery

An engine battery that only needs a top-up through winter is a few watts, not a leisure system. The POWOXI listing at £54.99 is a 15 W, 12 V panel with a controller built in. The attribute line is 1.02 A. The best-seller line is polycrystalline solar panels, not charge controllers. Across 438 ratings the score is 4.2. A UK review says the control circuit corroded and failed after about three months on a campervan roof, and that the circuit under the LEDs was not sealed. The IP65 line is a bullet. The roof review is a contradiction of that bullet. If you already have a roof array, this kit is the wrong object. You want a separate regulator, inside the van, sized to the array.

A leisure battery needs a controller sized in amps

Fifteen watts and 15 A are not neighbours. At 12 V, 15 A is in the region of 180 W before losses. The Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/15 at £61.60 is the documented 15 A unit in this capture: 100 V in the model name, 12/24 V, 4.7 from 538 ratings. Waterproof is asked on the SmartSolar listing and not answered. Do not put it on the roof. A single van panel that already matches a 12 V lead-acid leisure battery can stay on PWM. The Depvko 30 A at £8.48 is the row whose highlight says camper or shed, and it is lead-acid only. Another review says it overheated. Whether PWM or MPPT is the method is the MPPT or PWM solar charge controller page.
Victron Energy Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/15

Testsieger

Victron Energy Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/15
8.6/10about £61.60
View offer

Lithium in a van is a setting, not a sticker

A lot of UK camper builds now use a 12.8 V LiFePO4 leisure battery. The controller has to name that chemistry, and you have to select it. The AeternaSol 10 A at £18.99 is 12 V only and names LiFePO4. One UK review says it charged a 12.8 V LiFePO4. Another unit smoked within seconds on a portable panel. The Topcloud 10 A at £8.96 names LiFePO4 as an LCD mode, alongside lead-acid. The Depvko 30 A and the Rolokit 30 A say lead-acid only. Do not put either on a lithium leisure battery because the highlight mentions a camper. If you have not chosen the profile, the solar charge controller buying guide is the checklist. One controller here is not a split-charge device for the engine battery and the leisure battery at the same time.

Keep the controller inside, and keep the house mains out

Mount the regulator inside the van, with air around it, unless the listing proves a seal you can believe. The POWOXI bullets claim IP65 and a UK review says the circuit corroded on a campervan roof. The SmartSolar waterproof question is unanswered. Electronics in the dry, panel in the weather. Battery, then panel, then load is the how to connect a solar charge controller page. The Victron captures here do not print that order, so use the Victron manual. A van leisure battery is not a grid export until you run an inverter into a building. Electrical Safety First puts DNO registration on the building owner when a system can export, with G98 up to 3.68 kW and G99 above that. If you later plug the van inverter into the house, stop and get a competent person.

Common questions

Do I want a trickle panel or a separate controller?
A trickle panel if the battery only needs a maintenance charge while the van stands. In this set that is the POWOXI 15 W kit at £54.99, about 1.02 A. A separate controller if a roof array has to run a leisure battery. The SmartSolar 100/15 at £61.60 is the documented 15 A MPPT in the capture.
Can I leave a controller on the roof?
Not from these listings. The POWOXI claims IP65 and a UK review reports corrosion after about three months on a campervan roof. The SmartSolar does not answer a waterproof question, and no IP rating is stored for it. Put the regulator inside the van. Leave the panel outside.
Will it charge a lithium leisure battery?
Only when the listing names that chemistry and you select it. The AeternaSol 10 A and the Topcloud 10 A name LiFePO4. The Depvko 30 A and the Rolokit 30 A say lead-acid only, including the Depvko highlight that mentions a camper.
Is PWM acceptable for a single van panel?
Yes, when that panel's voltage already matches a 12 V lead-acid leisure battery. The Depvko 30 A and the BlueSolar 10 A are the PWM examples in this set, with the lead-acid limit on the Depvko. Series panels, or a lithium battery, move you off that recommendation.
Can the same controller do the engine battery and the leisure battery?
Not as a split-charge system, from anything in this folder. Use a small maintainer on a starter battery that sits idle, and a regulator on the leisure battery that the roof array feeds. If you need both at once, you need a design this page does not cover.

Related pages

Solar panel

Solar charge controller

Best solar charge controller UK: which listing fits

Solar charge controller buying guide, voltage first

How to connect a solar charge controller, battery first

MPPT or PWM solar charge controller: voltage first

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources are listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 19 October 2026.

  1. Victron Energy, BlueSolar MPPT installation (75/10 to 100/20) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Victron Energy UK, solar charge controllers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. MCS MIS 3002 (2026), solar PV systems (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First, solar panels (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Electrical Safety First, plug-in solar consumer guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, fire and solar PV recommendations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. IEA PVPS, Recommended Practices for Charge Controllers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)